Draft-gear.



T. H. SYMINGTON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 4, 1913.

T. H. SYMINGTON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATON FlLED NOV. 4. 1913 hpfga Patented Jan. 26, w15.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

4vwwwfwto'r Zwmgi GWHWQMQ@ [57 Y l UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

THOMAS HARRISON SYMINGTON, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DRAFT-GEAR.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. SYMING- TON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway draft gears and particularly to a new and improved single, unitary, integral structure by means of which the buiiing stresses are transmitted to the frame of the car and by which the draft beams are spaced and tied so that spreading is prevented.

It has previously been the generally prerailing practice in the draft gear art o provide shoulders on the opposed faces of the two draft beams `for the purpose of taking up the buliing stresses, and these stresses are applied to the shoulders in such manner as to subject them to a turning moment which tends to spread the sills, so that the draft gear is rendered inoperative and seriousaccidents result. y

Aside from the spreading of the sills, the insuiicient rearstops now in general use are subject to failure from other causes as shearing or breaking due to the cantaliver action which is a necessary result of their form and function.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved draft gear so constructed that all, possibility of spreading of the sills under any circumstances is entirely eliminated and in which the tendency to shear and -break the stops is overcome.

I have shown this device in connection with a two-key draft gear. The rear stop in itself as constructed and in combination with the other elements of the draft gear is the important feature of my invention, being in the form of a box-'like structure of an external width equal to the distance between the opposed faces of the sills, the sides of the boX being rigidly secured to the sills.

Preferably the box is provided with internal webs by which it is braced and the sills are provided with internally projecting (langes to which the bottom of the box is secured. By means of this device the sills are at the same time tied together and spaced apart, and the sill, tie and spacer.serves most efficiently as a rear stop to be engaged by the rear face of the yoke or by the rear follower to take up the butting stresses and Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led November 4, 1913.

Patented J an. 26, 1915.

semi No. 799,067.

distribute and apply them to the frame of the car.

A draft gear to which the device of my invention has been applied is shown 1n the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan showing the ends of the sills and a portion of the bolster together with a complete draft gear. Figi 2 is a section taken on the line 2, 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is transverse section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the sill spacer, tie and rear stop.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, each of which is used to indicate the same or corresponding parts in the different ligures of the drawing. The structure shown consists of parallel draft beams or sills 1, a draw-bar 2, keys 3 seated in slots 4 in the sills and extending thropghcorresponding slots 5 in the yoke 6 which is between the sills and connected to the draw-bar by means of the forward key which passes through the rear end of the draw-bar. To the rear of the draw-bar and carried by the second key is a front follower 7, and seated in the rear ends of the yoke bearing against the cross arm 8 thereof, I have shown a rear follower 9, and between the front and rear followers is a shock-absorbing member 10. The shock-absorbing member and yoke' are supported and guided by means of straps 11 extending from sill to sill and secured at their ends to the sills. y

The drawing stresses are transmitted to the sills by the keys 3, but the bufling stresses are in the main ditributed and transmitted to the sills and frame by means of the rear stop, sill, spacer and tie 12. This member 12 is a box-like structure preferably reinforced by means of webs 13 and 14 placed between the draft beams or sills and rigidly secured to both of them so that it acts as a spacer and tie and prevents spreading of the sills,'maintains them accurately spaced and acts as a rigid and substantially indestructible rear stop capable of taking up practically the entire thrust applied to the draft gear in buffing. As shown, the member 12 is placed directly` over the body bolster' 15 and with the sills and bolster forms an exceedingly rigid frame.

For the purpose of giving increased rigidity to the structure, in the device shown the walls of the box are offset inwardly at 16 and angle-irons 17 are inserted between the walls of the box below the offset portion and connection. As shown it is in the form of an elongated box'of extreme width equal to the distance between the opposed faces of the sills and of lsuflicient length to` lend all the support necessary under all circumstances to the front or bearing face 25. The sides are' preferably pierced with rivet holes 20 to receiyerivets 21 passing through the sills, and in the bottom I have shown rivet holes 22 to vreceive rivets 23'passing through the angleirons 17. As a means for bracing the sides and front, I have shown a horizontal top` web 24 reinforced by a central, longitudinal web 14 which is also integral with the front wall, affording it directl support. The sides,

bottom and central web 41 are in turn reinforced by a transverse vertical web 13, making an exceedingly rigid structure. particularly adapted to resist shock supplied to the forward or front'surface 25.

The operation of the device will be clearly.v

.apparent from 'the description taken' together with the preamble and drawings.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In a draft gear, means forspacing the sills, tying them together and receiving and distributing the buling stresses consisting of an integral box-like member 0f lateral dimension equal to the distance between the sills secured 4to both sills and having a front face to act as a stop surface, means for reinforcing the front face consisting of a central, vertical, longitudinal web, and a horizontal top web.

' 2. In a draft gear, means for spacing the sills, tying them together and receiving and distributing the bufling stresses consisting of an integral box-like member of lateral dimension equal to the distance between the sills secured to both sills and having a front y face to act as a stop surface, means for reinforcing the front face consisting of a central, vertical,l longitudinal web, a horizontal top web and means for reinforcing the lateral facesof the box consisting of a transverseweb integral with the central, longitudinal web.

3. In a draft gear, means for spacing the sills, tying them together 4and receiving and distributing. the buiing stresses consisting of an integral box-like member of lateral dimension equal tothe distance between the sills secured to both sills and havingl a front face to act as a stop surface, means for reinforcing 'the front face consisting of a central,'`vertical,longitudinal web, and a hori- `zontal top web and means for reinforcing the lateral faces of the boX consisting of a transverse web integral with the central, longitudinal web, the sides of the boX being offset inwardly at their lower portions, angle-bars inserted between the offset portions of the'boX and theopposed surfaces of the sills and securedto the sills, the horizontal flanges of the anglelirons underlying the bottom of the boX and beingsecured thereto. f 4. In a draft gear, means for spacing the sills, tying them'together, receiving and distributing the butling stresses consisting of an integral boX-like member of lateral dimension equal to the distance between the sills, the same being secured to both sills and having a front face to act as a stop surface, the sides of tlhe boX being offset inwardly at their lower portions, angle-bars inserted between the offset portions of the'boX and the opposed surfaces of the sills, and secured to the sills, the horizontal flanges of the angleirons underlying the bottom of the box and being secured thereto.

Signed by me at Buffalo, Monroe county,V State of New York, this 31st, day of October,

' THOMAS HARRISON SYMINGTON. Witnesses:

A. H. IVEs'ToN, E. B. ANDERSON. 

